Amazon offering early look at Paulson's memoir

Amazon.com is offering readers early access to former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson’s upcoming memoir if they own a Kindle (Amazon’s digital book device).

“Pre-order ‘On the Brink’ now and begin reading your Kindle edition at 12:01 a.m. on February 1,” the website touts on its homepage.

“On the Brink” also will be released in hardback on Feb. 1 though non-Kindle owners will have to wait until bookstores open.

In his author’s note Paulson writes: “I believe the most important part of this story is the way Ben Bernanke, Tim Geithner, and I worked as a team through the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.”

Amazon.com was one of the first booksellers to offer a handheld reading device and has marketed it aggressively.

And it’s noteworthy that Paulson’s book will be available immediately for download. When Sen. Ted Kennedy’s memoir, “True Compass,” was published in October, the publisher with held back the digital version of the book in hopes of boosting hardcover sales. “True Compass” is available on Kindle now.

But buying a downloadable book doesn’t give you a price break. The Kindle version of Paulson’s book costs $15.65, the same as the hardback.